Moderator: Joel Mortyn, MSc, RPF, Manager, Inventory & Analysis, Western Forest Products

Over the past decade, British Columbia has positioned itself as a North American leader in mass timber construction. This progress has been driven by efforts to remove barriers and stimulate demand, which include the development of the Mass Timber Action Plan and revisions to building codes to allow 18-storey mass timber buildings. While the removal of barriers and the development of strategies have proven successful, these actions have underscored the importance of the supply side and the capacity of BC’s forests to sustain ongoing growth.

Mass timber products are disrupting traditional building practices and generating excitement for transitioning to a higher-value forest industry while reducing embodied carbon in the built environment. This session will explore the potential of mass timber in BC, the insights gained from establishing BC as a mass timber leader.

Two industry case studies will highlight the pre-requisites to becoming a mass timber producer. The first will focus on the ongoing efforts to develop glulam from coastal second growth hem-fir. The second will focus on the steps to successfully develop North America’s most advanced, vertically integrated, multi-species mass timber facility in the west Kootenays.

Learning Outcomes

Participants will learn about:

1. Successes and learnings from BC’s approach to promoting the use of mass timber.
2. Potential impact of mass timber on the BC forest industry.
3. The challenges with developing a new, disruptive forest product.
4. The importance of whole supply chain thinking.
5. Coast and Interior industry case studies of developing mass timber supply chains.